And Faythe Levine, profiled in this NYT piece, is a "pillar of the do-it-yourself movement."

Levine has recently filmed a documentary as well as penned a book, both titled Handmade Nation. The DIY movement has gained a lot of strength and following in the last decade, with entire magazines (like ReadyMade), books, and websites being devoted to it. Levine's book and documentary will give us an even more in-depth look into the roots of this generation's arts and crafts movement.

We've come to enjoy all the facets of the DIY, and are learning to incorporate our own projects more and more—we're weaning ourselves from the "Why not just buy a new [insert old/broken/outdated object here]" ideals and moving toward the mindset of doing more with what we've got.

For instance, this summer, we learned how to rebuild a bike. We tried to pick up screenprinting (still learning), and glass jewelry-making (pretty successful). So for all gifts here on out, we're turning to all hand-made, all the time.

We're big believers that DIY is one of the most sustainable ways to go. So tell us—how has DIY affected your lifestyle?